Alana
by Icenectar
Summary: This tragic story begins when Gene literally runs into a girl running away from a gang of thugs. She is new to the planet and has nowhere to stay since her brother has been killed by the gang. Who is she and why did the gang kill her brother? Gene soon le


Alana

            It was dark when Gene Starwind started walking back to the shop.  The night was cold and bitter and Gene clutched his coat closer to his body.  He gazed up at the sky for a moment then continued on his way.  He was lost in his thoughts when a young woman in her late teens ran into him.  She cried out in shock as she fell to the ground, holding a stuffed bear tightly to her chest.  She scrambled to stand up as a small group of men came up behind her.

            "What the hell is going on here?"  Gene asked as he watched the girl shudder in fear.

            "Get lost kid. Give us the money honey or you'll join your boyfriend in heaven," one of the men said.

            "I don't owe you anything," the girl sobbed.

            "I'm not going to ask you again sister. Your man owed us a lot and you're gonna pay up."

            "She says she doesn't owe you so she doesn't owe you," Gene said and the leader of the group looked up.

            "Didn't I tell you to get lost? Grab her. She's trying to get away," the leader said and another man unceremoniously grabbed her and tossed her toy to the leader.

            "Maybe the money is in there boss," her captor said.

            "Open it up."

            The girl's violet eyes welled up with tears as she watched her toy become split open with a pocketknife.  Her captor screamed in pain as he let go of her.

            "Can't you hold a damned bitch?"  the leader demanded as the other man sucked on his wounded hand.

            "She bit me," the other man protested.

            "Spike grab the blue-haired bitch."

            "Why don't you just leave here alone?"  Gene asked as he grabbed the girl.

            "This ain't none of your business," the leader said and Gene smirked.

            "Well I'm making it my business. Get behind me."

            The girl looked at him for a second then did as she was told.  She sat on a bench behind Gene and wrapped her arms around her body in fear.

            "You're gonna pay for getting involved punk."

            The girl cringed at the sound of gunshots and began to cry in shock.  The sound brought the fresh memory of watching her brother, not her boyfriend, die at the mercy of those thugs.  She shrank back at Gene's touch and pressed her body up against the arm of the bench.

            "I'm not going to hurt you. What did you do to them?"  Gene asked.

            "I didn't do anything. Alan didn't to anything either," she replied, in-between sobs.

            "Alan. Your boyfriend?"

            "He was my brother. They destroyed the only thing I had left of him."

            "I'm sorry. Do you have a place to stay?"

            "We had just arrived when…"

            "Why don't you come with me? You can sleep in my room."

            "But…"

            "I'll take the couch."

            _Damn she's hot but I'm not going to make a move while she's hysterical_, Gene thought as she slowly stood up.  She moved her bangs away from her face and tearfully smiled.  Her hair was about three-quarters in length and was a bright blue in color except for a few strands of blonde hair that streaked through the blue in such a way that it reminded Gene of a sunny day.  Her face was full and round with large violet eyes positioned about halfway down from her forehead.  Her nose was small and angular and her lips were symmetrical and full.  Her body was slender and curvaceous and her chest region was perhaps a bit fuller than it should be.  Gene wasn't complaining, however, as he turned his attention to her legs.  Even wearing tennis shoes they looked sensual.

            "Let's get going. You must be tired," Gene said and took her hand.

            "Thank you for everything," she said as she squeezed her hand.

            "It wouldn't have been right to leave you in that kind of trouble."

            "Is it far to your place?"

            "Kind of."

            "I'm tired."

            She leaned against him and Gene glanced at her.  He pulled his hand out from her grasp and placed it around her waist.  She glanced up at him and he grinned.

            "For support. I don't want you to fall…I don't know your name," he said.

            "I don't know your name either," she replied.

            "Gene. Gene Starwind."

            "Starwind…that's a nice name. Mine is Alana. Alan and I didn't have a last name. Our parents disappeared when I was very young. He was the only family I had and now he's gone. I'm all alone."

            "I kind of know how you feel. I lost my father when I was younger."

            "I'm sorry."

            "It's not your fault. Here we are. The room's upstairs. Follow me."

            Gene opened the door to his room and switched on the light.  He walked over to the bed and pushed his clothes onto the floor.

            "The bathroom's over there. Here, wear these for tonight. I'll have my business partner wash your clothes," Gene said and handed her a pair of pajamas.  She took them and walked into the bathroom.  She closed the door and shortly reemerged wearing Gene's clothing.

            "They're too big," she said as she pushed the sleeves up.

            "They're all I've got. It's either that or nothing."

            "The buttons don't stay."

            "I think some are missing. Don't worry; you look just fine the way you are now. Well I'd better get downstairs."

            "I'm sorry…I don't mean to put you out. Maybe I should go."

            "You're not going anywhere until your clothes are clean. Whatever those men wanted is probably still out there. Your problems aren't over just because they're dead."

            "I'm sorry. I'm just scared. We've never been apart before and now we'll never be together again. I've never slept alone before. He always let me have the bed and he took the floor. We were all we had."

            "Give me a blanket and a pillow. I'll take the floor."

***

            "Good morning Sunshine," Jim Hawking said as Gene stumbled into the laundry room the next morning.

            "What's good about it? Damn my back hurts. I'd better not make a habit of this," Gene groaned as he stretched.

            "When did you get in last night?"

            "I got back at three this morning. Wash these will you?"

            He handed Jim a wad of clothing.  Jim shook the clothes out and blushed when a pair of women's underwear fell on the floor.

            "Gene, these are _women's_ clothing."

            "Yeah I know."

            "I'm not doing laundry for every woman you bring back with you. I don't do clothes for prostitutes."

            "It's not like that. I slept on the floor last night."

            "Thrown out of your own bed? You are pathetic."

            "Would you lay off? This girl's in real trouble."

            "Uh-huh. And she came straight to you. Sure Gene."

            "Would you just listen? She came here with her brother. They got jumped last night and her brother was killed. She was being pursued by a group of thugs when she ran into me. She doesn't know anyone here and the only family she has is now dead. I did the only thing I could do. I brought her back with me. There. That's the story. Now will you wash those things?"

            "Alan?"  Alana asked as she stepped into the room.  She stopped short when she realized that the events of the night before had actually transpired.  It hadn't been a dream as she had hoped.  Her brother _had_ died and she was all alone on a strange planet.  She fell to her knees and began to cry.

            "You were telling the truth," Jim said and Gene looked at him.

            "Of course I was you idiot," he said as Jim set Alana's clothes on the top of the washing machine.  He walked up to her and crouched before her.

            "Don't cry. Would you like something to eat?"

            She looked up at Jim's friendly face and wiped her eyes.  She slowly nodded her head and Jim smiled.

            "You're going to have to get out of the hallway then. Why don't you go out into the living room and wait?"

            She took his outstretched hand and stood up.  She fumbled for her bear for a few seconds then realized that it was gone forever and sighed heavily.

            "Just have a seat there and I'll get to work," Jim said as he pointed to the couch.  She sat down and gazed forlornly out the window.  She wrapped her arms around her knees and tried not to cry.

            "So where did you come from?"  Gene asked.

            "We lived on Platon. It's a small planet. I don't know where it is in relation to your planet. This is a nice room," Alana commented as she glanced up.  She looked at Gene and smiled.  He sat beside her and stretched his legs out over the table.  She wrapped Gene's pajamas closer around her body and Gene gazed upon her more apparent figure.  She glanced at him and bent her head, trying not to cry.

            "Are you cold?"

            "No. I'm just really lonely. I wish Alan was with me."

            "I know I'm not your brother, but could I provide you some comfort?"

            "I really owe you a lot. I wish I could repay you," Alana said as she leaned against Gene's shoulder.  Gene glanced at her distraught face and sighed.  In one night her entire world had been destroyed.  He felt sorry for her and wished that there was something he could do to provide her with a new direction in an otherwise meaningless life.

            "It's ready. Gene don't you ever give up?"  Jim asked as he stepped into the living room.

            "I'm just trying to calm her down," Gene protested.

            "Is that why you're rubbing her ass?"

            "All right lay off. Let's eat."

            Gene stood up and Alana fell on the seat of the couch.  She sat up and pushed up the sleeves, forcing the front of the shirt to come open.

            "You just had to give her a shirt that doesn't close, didn't you?"

            "It was the first thing that I could find."

            "Don't you have anything else she can wear?"

            "What, are you embarrassed that you're seeing more flesh than usual?"

            Jim flushed as he turned away from Alana.

            "Let's just eat," Jim said as he walked back into the kitchen.

            "What happened?"  Alana inquired as she stood up.

            "Don't worry about it. Jim's just embarrassed," Gene said as she closed the shirt and attempted to keep it buttoned.

            Jim offered her a seat at the table.  She sat down and glanced at the empty plate. Gene sat across from her and smiled.  She glanced at him and returned the smile.

            "Alan would like you," she commented as Jim carried a serving dish in from the kitchen.  She watched him set the dish on the table and glanced at him.

            "How old are you?"

            "Eleven," Jim replied.

            "You seem much older."

            "Thank you. I'm finally getting the recognition I deserve, Gene."

            "She's just being nice. How old are you?"  Gene asked Alana.

            "Seventeen," she replied.

            "Wow. You're pretty young."

            "Is that bad?"

            "I'm used to seeing older women. It's nice to see girls around my age."

            "How old are you?"

            "Nineteen."

            "You're almost twenty," Jim said.

            "Yeah I know but it's still a couple of months away," Gene said as he picked up a piece of toast.

            "How's the taste?"

            "Good," Alana replied as she set down her fork.  She stood up and walked out of the dining room.

            "Gene, what are we going to do with her? We've got work to do," Jim said after she was out of earshot.

            "I don't know. She's got no place to go. She'll have to stay here I guess."

            "Won't she get in the way? You know how you get with women."

            "I'll just have to deal with it. I'm going to take a shower and we'll get to work."

            "All right. Just don't make any serious moves on her okay?"

            "I'm a big boy."

            "That's debatable."

            "Whatever. Wash this too, will you?"

            Gene pulled off his shirt and dropped it at the bottom of the stairs.

            "I'm not your servant."

            "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll be back down."

            Jim growled as Gene walked into his room.  He sometimes wished that Gene would act more responsibly.  He was the older one, after all.

***

            Gene sat on the bed and removed his pants.  He threw them on the floor and stood up.  He walked towards the bathroom and laid a hand on the doorknob.  He stopped when he heard the tap being turned on and glanced into the keyhole.  He watched Alana's slender figure bend and remove the pants from her body.  His eyes grew wide at the sight of her breasts and blinked his eyes as she stood up and stretched.

            "Don't you have any manners?"  Jim asked and Gene smacked his head on the bathroom door.  The door swung open and Alana gazed at their red faces in confusion.  Jim covered his eyes and turned away. Gene awkwardly picked himself off the floor and stared at her.  She gazed at him and smiled.  Gene glanced down at his almost nude body and flushed.

            "Did you want to take a bath too?" she asked and Gene looked at her.

            "What?" he asked.

            "Alan and I used to take baths together when I was younger. He was afraid that I might drown if I took a bath by myself. For some reason, he started insisting that he take baths alone as I got older. He never explained why though."

            "Come on Gene. You can use my shower," Jim said as he fumbled for Gene's arm. He refused to turn around because he knew that she wasn't dressed.

            "If he doesn't like baths we can take a shower," Alana said as Jim grabbed Gene's arm.

            "Come _on Gene."_

            "All right, all right. I'm coming. Maybe later," Gene said as Jim dragged him out of the room.

            "Can't you grow up? You're older than I am. You're supposed to be the responsible one. I shouldn't have to watch over you like a mother hen," Jim said as Gene washed his face.

            "I didn't know she was in there. It was an accident," Gene said.

            "Well your drooling all over her didn't help any."

            "I wasn't drooling over her."

            "Yes you were. You always get that stupid look on your face when you're mesmerized by a girl."

            "At least I saw. You turned your back on her. You're not as grown up as you think you are little boy."

            "At least I have some manners!!"

            "I have manners too. It's impolite to turn down an open invitation."

            "You're not going anywhere Gene!"

            "All right I'll stop. Though if I were her brother, I would have continued to take baths with her. She's certainly more interesting than little bath toys."

            "Maybe her brother didn't believe in incest."

            "You know where that belief got him don't you? He got a one-way ticket to terminal dreamland."

            "Can't you be a little more caring of the situation she's in?"

            "Hey I brought her here didn't I?"

            "The only reason you brought her back was because she's good looking."

            "That's not true."

            "Come on Gene, I know how you get with women."

            "Let's just get to work."

            "All right! I knew if I kept at it long enough, we'd get something accomplished."

            "Yeah, yeah, yeah. What do we have to do?"

            "Well you've got to get dressed and it looks like we have a customer downstairs."

            "All right. I'm going back to my room. That is, unless you have some clean clothes down here."

            "Here. I didn't bother folding them because you just throw them around."

            "Would you quit complaining and see what that guy wants?"

            "Right. Good morning sir. Hawking of Starwind and Hawking Enterprises. How may I help you?"  Jim asked as he walked into the office.

            "I'm looking for a woman," a large surly man said and Gene's ears perked up.

            "A woman? All right, could you give me the particulars?"

            "She's about seventeen years old with purple eyes and light blue hair with blonde streaks."

            "What do you want her for?"  Gene asked as he pulled on his shirt.

            "I'm paying you to look for her, not ask questions," the man growled.

            "You're not paying us anything. We haven't taken on the job yet. Now, what do you want her for?"

            "Someone is looking for her."

            "Who?"

            "He calls himself Alan."

            "What do you want her for you bastard?"

            "Gene please. We can do our best to locate some information regarding her residency. May we have a number that we can contact you or Alan at?" Jim asked and the man glared at Gene.

            "Here's the number. I suggest that you just do your job of tracking her and not get involved," the man growled and stalked off.

            "Real friendly guy. What's the number Jim?"  Gene asked after the man had left.

            "It's an apartment house in the rich part of town. What do you think this is all about Gene?"

            "I don't know. He said Alan. She said that her brother was killed. Somebody is lying."

            "Maybe the whole thing was faked."

            "That's possible but why? What does she have that's so important? All she was carrying was a stuffed bear. Jim I'm going out. Stay here and watch the shop."

            "Where are you going?"

            "To where I ran into her last night."

***

            Gene picked up what was left of Alana's stuffed bear and inspected it.  He cut off the head and reached inside it.  There, hidden in-between the stuffing was a necklace with a beautiful starburst pendant.  Gene stuffed the necklace into his coat pocket and cocked his gun.  He spun around and to prepared to fire when a frightened cat ran across the street.  He sheathed his gun and started the walk back.  There was definitely something wrong going on.

***

            "Go fish. Hey Gene. Did you find anything out?"  Jim asked as he set his cards on the table.

            "Analyze this will you? I want you to tell me about your brother," Gene said as he sat across from Alana.

            "What do you want to know about him?"  Alana asked.

            "You said that you were never apart. Why?"

            "He protected me."

            "Why?"

            "Because I'm different."

            "What do you mean by different?"

            "I can do things that normal people can't."

            "Such as…?"

            "Get down Gene!"  Jim cried as a spark of light flashed over Gene's head.

            "Are you okay?"  Alana inquired as her hand reached through the table.  Gene yelped in shock and scrambled out from under the table.  She shrank back in the chair and tried to make herself as small and inconspicuous as possible.  Her body shuddered in sadness as tears rolled down her face.

            "Nice going Gene," Jim said.  "Geez look at these readings. The pendant is responding to her energy. Look at the way it's pulsating."

            "So what does that mean?"  Gene asked.

            "I don't know."

            "Come on, you're the brains of this outfit."

            "I've never seen anything like this before."

            "Here," Alana said and handed Gene a piece of paper.

            "What's this for?"  Gene inquired.

            "All that you've done. We're even now. We don't owe each other anything."

            "Put this on our account, Jim."

            "Gene she's leaving," Jim said as Alana walked out the front door.

            "Alana wait," Gene said and ran after her.  She stopped and looked at him through tear-filled eyes.

            "You're not obligated to me now. I have my clothes and I'm going to take them as far away from your shop as I can," she sobbed and he grabbed her hand.

            "I want to help."

            "Let go of me. I don't need your help anymore."

            "They'll kill you."

            "At least then I wouldn't be alone anymore."

            "Are you really ready to die?"

            She sobbed as she pressed her face into his chest.  Gene was taken aback by her actions for a few seconds then wrapped his arms around her waist.  He moved a hand down to her rump and began to stroke it.  Her sobs subsided as she gazed up at him.  He kissed her and she blinked her eyes as she felt his tongue probe her mouth.

            "Is she okay? Great Gene, why don't you suffocate her?"  Jim demanded and Gene gave him the finger.

            Alana pulled away from Gene and gasped for air.  He watched her chest heave heavily and smiled.

            "You kiss well. Now do you believe that I want to help?"  he asked and she looked at him.

            "Yes…" she replied as she gazed into his eyes.

            "Can I have my bed back?"

            "Enough Gene. We need to figure out why they want her so badly," Jim said.

            "That's a great idea. Come on Alana," Gene said and led her back into the shop.

            "What are you doing?"

            "I'm going to interrogate her. Let's go to my room where I can ask you questions in private."

            "Gene…"

            "I'd ask you along but you may see more than a little boy should."

            Jim growled as Gene shut his bedroom door.  He kicked the bottom of the stairs and sat heavily on the couch.  He gazed up at the ceiling in frustration.

            "Damn you Gene!"  he yelled and Gene opened the door.

            "Keep it down will you Jim?"  he inquired and closed the door behind him.

***

            "I want to ask you these questions in a natural setting," Gene said as he removed his pants.

            "I'll try to answer them the best I can," Alana said as Gene leaned close to her.

            "Have you ever been with a man like this before?"

            "Once. Alan only did it once. I don't know why he stopped. It was kind of fun."

            "So how far did he go with you?"

            "In relation to what?"

            "Why was he so protective of you?"

            "Part of the reason was that I saw things. I kept seeing my parents' death in my sleep until Alan started giving me some medicine to help me sleep at night. He would give it to me when we were in space too. When I didn't have it, I would see terrible things."

            "What sort of things?"  Gene asked as he rubbed her shoulders.

            "I would see myself on an operating table hooked up to some wires and Alan holding a knife. I also saw him die and come back to life. There were also people who called themselves pirates that threatened to destroy Alan if he didn't complete the project. I saw needles and blood. Can I stop talking now?"  Alana asked.

            "What are these scars from?"

            "What scars?"

            "On your arm. There's a row of little dots from your shoulder to your elbow. Its as if you were stabbed by a…needle several times," Gene said as he ran a hand over her right breast.  He touched her nipple and she gasped.  Her eyes glazed over and she fell head first onto Gene's lap.

            "Jim!!"

***

            "This is very strange. Look at this mark on her leg. It's exactly the same as the pendant," Jim said as he pressed a few keys on his computer.

            "What's her fluid content?"  Gene asked.

            "She's definitely been drugged. Quite a few times by the looks of it. She's been given quite a few tranquilizers for some reason."

            "What's the story on her tits?"

            "This may gross you out but there seems to be a computer chip embedded in the skin. When you touched it, you shorted something out."

            "So she's a cyborg?"

            "Not in the sense that we know the word. She's obviously been worked on against her will."

            "Well her brother's over-protectedness kind of makes sense now. She's unknowingly a part of something bigger."

            "Is anyone here?"  a man's gruff voice asked and Jim looked up.

            "Gene it's the guy from before. What do we do?"  Jim asked and Gene grinned.

            "I'm gonna talk to him. Maybe I'll get some concrete answers," Gene said and walked out to the front of the shop.

            "Have you found out anything on the bitch?"  the surly man asked.

            "Maybe I have and maybe I haven't," Gene said and the stranger pointed a knife at Gene's throat.

            "You'd better tell me the truth or this breath will be your last."

            Alana awoke with a start and stared at Jim.  The pendant stopped pulsating as she uttered a cry of shock.

            "Quiet Alana," Jim said as she began to whimper in fear.

            "What was that?"  the man demanded.

            "My associate. You know how wild men can get at times," Gene said.

            "She's here, isn't she?"

            "Jim a little help here!"

            "What is it Gene? Aaah!"  Jim cried when he saw the situation that Gene was in.

            "Give me the girl or watch your friend die," the man hissed.

            "Stop it," Alana said as a beam of light shattered the blade that was poised on Gene's throat.

            "Get back Alana," Jim said as she wrapped the sheet around her body.

            "Alan's waiting for you, little lady," the man said.

            "Alan is dead," Alana said.

            "Is he?"

            Alana gasped as she realized the meaning of one of her dreams.  Slowly the true meaning of her relationship with her brother became clear.  It was if the pieces of a shattered mirror were being put back together.  All that her brother had done to protect her wasn't for her at all.  It was for him.  He had used her and filled her heart with lies and false hope. It became clear to her that she would continue to be used by him until he had achieved his goal.  She fought back the tears that she wanted to cry and glared at the stranger.

            "You're…you're just trying to confuse me. Alan is dead," she said.

            "Get dressed Alana," a new voice said and Alana looked up.  A tall, slender man stood in the doorway with deep purple eyes and long navy hair.  Tears welled up in her eyes as she gazed at him.

            "Alan…"

            "Get dressed."

            "Why…?"

            "Do as I say Alana."

            "Yes."

            She turned and walked back into the room that she had awoken in.  She noticed the necklace that lay on the table and picked it up.  The pendant pulsed even brighter as she put the chain around her neck.

***

            "Thank you for keeping her in one place, Gene Starwind. I also owe you for getting rid of the trash I ran into last night," Alan said and Gene pointed his gun at him.

            "You bastard. What have you done to her?"  Gene demanded.

            "Nothing that concerns you. Where's the necklace that you found?"

            "I don't have to tell you anything."

            "I'm used to getting what I want, Gene. Now give me the necklace."

            "The only thing I'm giving you is a one-way ticket to hell."

            "Gene look out!"  Jim cried as Alan fired his own gun.

            "No!"  Alana cried as she ran in front of Gene.  She screamed in pain as her body hit the floor.  Blood stained the concrete as Alana gazed tearfully up at Gene.

            "Bedtime," Alan said and Alana collapsed on the floor.  Alan kicked her leg and laughed.

            "Bastard. What did you do to her?"  Gene demanded.

            "She's been turned off. Pick her up Sanders. Our guests will arrive shortly and they don't like to be kept waiting."

            "But what about them?"  Sanders asked.

            "It's taken care of," Alan replied as Jim handed Gene a caster shell.

            "Be careful Gene," Jim whispered.

            "Don't worry about me Jim. All right Alan, game's over," Gene said as he pointed his gun at Alan.

            "New rules Starwind," Alan said and dropped a capsule on the floor.  The building became saturated with a gaseous vapor as Alan and Sanders ran down the street.  Gene and Jim gagged and clutched their throats as they fell to the floor unconscious.

            "But boss, what about the necklace?"  Sanders asked as he dumped Alana in the back seat of their car.

            "She's wearing it. This works out great. As long as her power is kept under control, I'll get a lot of money for her," Alan said as he started the engine.

            "Don't you feel guilty for doing this? She's your sister."

            "I've prepared her for the future. She's an important part of the pirate's new tracking system. Besides, when it's a choice between family and money, I always choose money. That's why I've spent six years working on her. It's all going to pay off very soon."

***

            "Wake up Gene," Jim said as he shook Gene's unconscious figure.  Gene groaned and slowly sat up.  He rubbed his forehead and sighed.

            "What the hell happened? Where is she?"  Gene asked as Jim helped him up.

            "They took her."

            "Damn!"

            "Gene, what are you doing?"

            "What does it look like I'm doing? How many shells do we have left?"

            "We've got a twelve, a nineteen, a five and three number sixes."

            "Do we have any fifteens?"

            "Um…I think we have one."

            "All right. Load up the case. We've got work to do."

            "You're not going after them, are you?"

            "What do you think?"

            "Gene, we can't."

            "You'd rather she die? Besides, they haven't paid us and I think we should demand payment."

            "We need to plan this out."

            "We haven't got time Jim. Are we all loaded?"

            "Yes."

            "Let's go."

***

            "Good morning," Alan said and Alana sat up in shock.  She gazed around the room in fear.  Dangerous looking people stood watching her and she huddled up against the edge of the couch.

            "Can you make her stand? I'd like to see what I'm buying," one of the strangers said.

            "Stand Alana."

            "No," Alana replied.

            "_Stand_."

            "Yes."

            "You know things go better when you behave."

            "Who are these people?" 

            "They're pirates. You belong to them now."

            "What?"

            "Here you go. Fifty million woolong," the first pirate said and handed Alan a check.

            "You _sold_ me?"  Alana asked.

            "Of course. When it comes to money, nothing is more important," Alan said as the lights grew dim.

            "What's going on, boss?"  Sanders asked as Jim grabbed Alana's hand.  She gasped and Jim smiled.

            "It's okay," he whispered. "Let's get out of here."

            "You never paid me Alan," Gene growled and Alan sneered.

            "Your payment was your life. It wasn't worth my time to kill you. However, now it is," he said and unsheathed a deadly looking sword.

***

            "Jim, what about Gene?"  Alana asked as they ran towards Jim's car.

            "He'll be okay by himself. I've got to get you out of here," Jim said and Alana stopped running.

            "We're going back."

            "But…"

            "Jim, I got you both into this and I'm going to get you out."

            "What can you do?"

            "I'm going to take care of Alan. I'm sick and tired of being lied to."

***

            "Damn it! They're not working!"  Gene cried as he fired his gun.

            "Casters don't work against me. Time to die Gene Starwind," Alan said and raised his sword.  A beam of light hit the sword causing it to shatter into thousands of pieces.

            "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were taking care of her."

            "She wanted to come back Gene," Jim said.

            "Alan…" Alana said coldly and Alan grinned.

            "What's he done to you _sis_? Has he made promises to you? Has he touched you in places only _I_ know about?"  Alan asked and Gene hit him.

            "That's none of your damned business!"  Gene growled as Alan hit the wall.

            "Leave the room Alana," Alan said as he stood up and wiped the blood from his mouth.

            "No," Alana said and her brother glared at her.

            "_Leave_ the room."

            "I'm not going."

            "Then it's bedtime."

            "You don't control me any longer."

            "It ain't working boss," Sanders said and Alan's eyes grew wide.

            "Take that damned necklace off of her!"  Alan commanded.

            "Necklace…" Gene said and glanced at Alana's neck.

            The pendant shone brightly as Alana gazed levelly at her brother.  Sanders made a move in her direction and she waved a hand, sending Sanders flying into the small group of pirates.  Alan gazed wide-eyed at his sister as he pressed his back against the wall.

            "No Alana…" Alan protested as she raised her hand.

            "You've used me for the last time," Alana said, her voice low and dangerous.

            "Gene do something!"  Jim cried and Gene looked at him.

            "Why? The bastard deserves it," he said.

            "If that pendant keeps absorbing her energy at this rate, we'll all be killed!"

            "I'm the only family you have. Don't you remember? We're all we have," Alan protested.

            "You _used_ me. A true family would never do that. Your love of money was more important than our relationship. I'm not going to forgive you for what you've turned me into. I'm better off alone than to be in your company any longer," Alana said as a beam of energy started to form in front of her hand.

            "Gene let's go!"  Jim cried and grabbed Gene's hand.

            They got out just as the apartment exploded.  Gene stood in the midst of raining concrete and metal shards and clenched his hands.  Jim lay a hand on his arm and Gene glanced at him.

            "There wasn't anything you could do, Gene," he said.

            "I know," he sighed.

            "Gene look!"

            Alana stepped out of the debris, still wearing the necklace.  The pendant shattered from the energy overload and Alana collapsed on the ground.  Gene ran to her side and shook her.

            "Jim what's her reading?"  he demanded.

            "She's dying," Jim replied.

            "Gene…" Alana whispered and Gene looked at her.

            "We'll get you help. Hold on," he said and she weakly smiled.

            "It's too late for me Gene. At lease I can't be used anymore. Thank you for everything Gene. I didn't know you for very long but I wasn't lonely with you," she sighed and closed her eyes.  Gene ran a hand over her face and pressed her lips together.  He gently laid her body on the ground and sighed.  Jim laid a hand on Gene's shoulder and patted his back.

            "Come on Gene. Let's go," Jim said softly.

            "Can't we restart her or something?"  Gene asked.

            "No Gene. There's nothing we can do. At least she died happy and free."

            "Yeah. For once in her life she wasn't alone."

            He stood up and gazed at the lifeless figure of Alana.  He wished that he had known her better.  She had stood her ground and faced her fears.  She didn't run away or submit when she had learned that her brother was using her.  She had been noble in coming between Gene and certain death.  He watched as raindrops started to fall on her face, gently washing away the blood and sighed.  He turned to Jim.

            "Let's go home," he said and turned away from the scene. 


End file.
